A Different Perspective on Blasphemy

The Future of Blasphemy: Speaking of the Sacred in an Age of Human Rights, by Austin Dacey (New York: Continuum, 2012, ISBN 978-1-4411-8392-7) 208 pp. Paper, $19.95.

The word blasphemy has such an antique ring to it that one is tempted to think it went the way of the Spanish Inquisition. But prohibitions on speech critical of religion are no relic of the past. They remain a matter of serious concern. As the recent case involving the Indonesian atheist Alexander Aan reminds us, laws proscribing blasphemy continue in force in much of the world, even in so-called “moderate” Islamic countries.